Starfish
by Marlee Darkscribe
Summary: Rated T for now, might be M later. AU retcon of the Viki and Niki, Jess and Tess storyline that explains how Viki can be cured and still split, how Jess can have an alter and a happy childhood, and why Tess exists.
1. Chapter 1

Starfish

By Marlee Darkscribe

Note: I gave Jessica Buchanan Bree Williamson's DOB –Sept. 5, 1981, which means she is about to turn 24. Jessica Buchanan was originally born in 1986, then aged from infant to preteen in1990, after Viki's stroke. I made a few minor changes to the timeline to allow Jessica to age in real time and to build a believable retcon for those of us who watched Jessica have a happy childhood.

Prologue

1985

Little Jessie's nanny thought she was still asleep; she had been, until the slamming of the heavy front door woke her. Clint and Viki, her parents, were somewhere downstairs. Her brothers, Kevin and Joey, were playing catch in the yard. Jessie tiptoed down the hallway of the second floor of Llanfair. No one saw her open the door of the Master Bedroom and approach the king-sized bed. She climbed, gripping the bedpost in her pudgy hand. She wobbled to the center of the bed, her bare feet slippery upon the silk bedspread.

Jessie jumped on the bed, higher and higher. She forgot about the fears she couldn't name, fears that grew every time she heard her mom and dad argue. Her tousled blonde curls bounced as well, adding to the feeling of weightlessness. Her frilly baby doll nightgown flew from her knees to her waist and back. She closed her eyes. If she could, she would jump forever.

"Well, well, would ya get a load of the little jumpin' bean?"

Jessie ignored the voice and kept jumping. She was almost four years old and she had figured out that questions like 'What have we here?' were closely followed by orders to 'Stop that at once!' and the dreaded 'young lady' speech.

A sharp, piercing whistle startled her. Her eyes opened wide. Her jumping spree ended with one hard landing followed by a tiny bounce as her bottom hit the mattress.

"Wow." She looked up at the woman who had made such a loud sound by putting her fingers in her mouth.

"Impressive, huh? Learned it in New York City; whistle like that and you can catch a cab anywhere. Remember that, kiddo; you can get just about anything you want if you're not afraid to make some noise." The woman looked like Jessie's mom, but that was all. Viki never chewed gum or whistled (until now). The way she moved, her accent and tone of voice were different from Viki's trademark cultured precision. "So, how come you ain't bouncin' on your own bed, kiddo?"

"My bed's too small," Jessie said. She knew she would have to hear a lecture and get sent to her room, away from mom and dad. "It's not fair. I never get to have any fun." She scowled.

"You're telling me," came the surprising reply. "Hm, I've done a lot of things on a lot of beds, but I don't think I have ever jumped. It's fun, huh?"

"Yeah," breathed Jessie. She grinned up at the woman. "It's like flying."

"Cool." The woman slipped off her black heels and the chunky jeweled accessories from her pantsuit before she climbed to the center of the bed next to Jessie. She leaned down and held out her hands to the surprised child, helping her to her feet.

Still holding hands, they jumped. The woman and the little girl lost themselves in flight, defying gravity and laughing with the sheer joy of freedom. In that moment, there could be no doubt that the two were mother and daughter.

They broke the bed.

The minute the plywood boards that supported the mattress and boxspring gave way, the structure crashed. Mother and daughter heard the distinct sound of footsteps in the house.

"Crap." The woman lifted her little girl into an awkward embrace. Jessie shifted until she was in the more comfortable and familiar position: arms around neck, head on shoulder, body weight on one hip. "Listen up, kiddo. You do me a solid, and I'll do you one."

"Huh?" Jessie asked.

"Jumping on the bed was fun, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"It's my bed, so if I want us to jump on it, what's the harm?"

"It broke." Jessie sighed. "That's why I'm not allowed to jump on my bed, because it'll break."

"That's cause you're a kid and kids have no money to pay for new beds. I'm a grownup with credit cards; I can break as many beds as I want. And we didn't get hurt, did we?"

"Uh-uh."

"Well, the people heading this way are determined to suck the joy out of my life and make sure that I never have any fun. If they have their way, both of us are gonna be in big trouble over this. I don't know about you, kiddo, but I don't wanna be locked in a tiny room until somebody decides I'm a good girl again. Do you?"

"No way, Jose." Jessie shook her head as she repeated one of her brothers' favorite phrases.

"If you just stay where you are, do everything I tell you, and keep you mouth shut, I'll get us both out of trouble. Deal?"

"Okay."

"Good." They heard multiple footsteps on the grand staircase. "When someone asks you a question, cry. When I pat you, cry. When I kiss your head, cry harder. Don't let anyone see your face. Got it?"

"Got it," Jessie whispered.

Jessie didn't understand most of what happened next. She paid close attention to the words and cues, so that she would know when to cry, but ignored the meanings as unimportant. She kept her face hidden while her mom talked to the nanny, the housekeeper, and her dad. She heard them leave and lifted her head, only to have her mom push it back down. Her dad, Kevin, and Joey came in a few minutes later; Jessie cried all through their goodbyes as they left to go to Granpa Asa'a house for the weekend.

"Great job, kiddo. We're in the clear." Her mom whooped and swung her around in a dizzying circle. Jessie liked this new mom so much better than the one that fussed and worried. This new mom spent time with her without other people around. "Remember, ya gotta keep this a secret, just between you an me. Pinky swear?" They made the traditional gesture. "Tell you what, you go put on your favorite outfit and I'll take you out for a treat before I drop you off at Asa's."

The second her feet touched the floor, Jessie ran to her room. Once there, she bit her lip. Her nanny had always picked out her clothes and told her what to wear. Looking through her closet and dresser drawers, Jessie realized that she didn't like these clothes. They were pale pink and baby blue, with ruffles and frills and matching ribbons. They were clothes for little ladies who didn't get dirty. She didn't know whether to scream or cry.

Jessie was still standing in the center of her room, staring at the open closet door, when her new mom walked in.

"You're still in your jammies? Time is money, kiddo." She heard the displeasure in her new mom's voice and saw the frown on her face. Now new mom would leave her with the nanny, too. It wasn't fair.

Jessie screamed. "I hate them." She gestured at the dresses hanging in the closet. "I won't wear them and you can't make me." She stomped her foot and glared at new mom.

New mom looked at the dresses and made a face. "Eww, are they all like that?"

Jessie nodded.

"I wouldn't wear them, either, kiddo." New mom tilted her head and considered the child. "Okay, since I owe you one, I'll take you shopping for real clothes, not dresses for dollies. Cool?"

"Cool." Jessie grinned.

"But ya gotta pick something to wear to the mall cause they won't let you in wearing a nightgown." New mom winked at her. She picked a pink dress, white socks, and black patent leather shoes to wear. In a few minutes, she looked like a tomboy forced to wear a dress, which was what she was.

"So if you hate the dresses, how come you wore them before now?"

"They said I had to," said Jessie.

"Who are 'they'?"

"The nanny, my dad, my old mom."

"Your 'old' mom?"

"Can I tell you a secret?" Jessie bit her lip again. She didn't want to mess this up.

"Sure, kiddo." New mom was still frowning. Jessie raised her arms in a 'pick-me-up' gesture. New mom did.

Jessie whispered in her ear. "I like you better than old mom."

"But no one likes…You do? No kiddin'?"

Jessie nodded.

"How come?"

"You smile. You're fun. You do stuff. You don't care if I'm pretty or sweet."

"You are one smart cookie, you know that?" New mom's frown disappeared and her smile warmed Jessie. "I didn't think so before, but I am your mom, kid." New mom walked over to the closet, still carrying Jessie. "You see this stuff? This was the perfect wardrobe for the perfect little girl. It figures, any child of Victoria would never get dirty or have a hair out of place."

"I want to get dirty," she whispered. "I want to play outside, like Kevin and Joey."

"Of course you do. My kid would get out there and live life, not sit around and watch and then write about it for some boring newspaper that'll end up lining birdcages or wrapping fish. Leave that to losers like Victoria and Jessica."

"But I'm Jessie."

"Wrong-O." New mom laughed and raised one eyebrow. "Jessie is a boring princess who likes the dolly dresses. Jessie always does the right thing. Jessie doesn't have fun. Jessie would never jump on a bed because it isn't ladylike."

"I don't wanna be Jessie. I wanna have fun."

"You are not Viki's little girl, Jessie, not today anyway. You're my little girl, so I get to name you." New mom looked around the nursery, pausing at the table next to the nightstand. On display were three blonde Barbie dolls wearing dresses and one brunette Teresa doll wearing a polo shirt and blue jeans. "You are Nicole Smith's daughter Teresa, Tess for short. Let's go buy you some jeans."


	2. Chapter 2

3

Chapter Two

The little girl stood peering through the glass French doors at the boys and men playing baseball on the lawn. She wore new jeans, a light blue polo shirt, denim sneakers and a Phillies baseball cap over her blonde pony tail.

"What's with the waterworks, kiddo?" Niki asked the sobbing child.

"They won't let me play." Tess looked around once, just to make sure no one was nearby while she talked to her real mom, the one who was always happy to see her. She placed one tiny fist against her hip and gestured to the window in a near-perfect imitation of the woman facing her. Tess tucked her hair behind her ear with two fingers and scowled, a dramatic gesture ruined by the unexpected hiccup. "It's not fair."

"So ya thought crying about it would change anything?" Niki shook her head at the child she was starting to consider her reward for tolerating the rest of Victoria's crap. "Doesn't look like their game was called on account of your little storm, so what's the point?"

"But I want to play. I could hit the ball. I know it, but they said I was too little." Tess sniffled one last time, wiped the last ear away, and crossed her arms. This mom liked to see signs of 'spirit' and never told her she was misbehaving.

"So, who says you can only swing a bat with Viki's rotten brats? You can sit here and be Jessica, the snot factory or I can take my Tess out to the batting cages? What's it gonna be?" Niki wore a stern look that was almost as false as her accent. Tess wasn't fooled for a minute.

"Batting cages!" Tess ran across the room to the open doorway to grab her mom's hand and pull her across the marble foyer. They had to leave right this minute, or something might happen and they wouldn't be able to go. Tess stopped breathing when her mom stopped in the middle of the foyer and walked over to the side table under the mirror, but Niki only picked up her old mom's purse and stuck her tongue out at her reflection. Niki and Tess ran, leaving all thoughts of Viki and Jessica behind.

"Come on, Slugger, we gotta stash your gear." Tess couldn't stop smiling as she removed her batting gloves and placed them inside her brand new helmet. The aluminum bat clanked against the helmet and she jumped, looking around to make sure no one heard.

When she turned back around, a section of the wall opened, revealing a dark scary-looking place. "C'mon, c'mon, time is money," called her mom. Tess went over to the wall opening. She could see a set of dim lights along a brick corridor, but she couldn't bring herself to go into the dusty passage. She closed her eyes and wished she was really brave. When she felt a hand grab her wrist and yank her into the corridor, she shrieked.

"Stifle it, missy. You saw the secret passage and now you could get in a real jam. Now open your eyes and count with me." She squeezed her eyes shut, even though her mom was trying to tell her something. A sharp pain in her shin made her eyes pop open. Her mom was bent in half, staring at her from only inches away, her gaze so intense it scared Tess. "Now count." Tess moved with her mom exactly eight paces. Her hand was moved to feel the change in the brick as her mom moved it to one side and pressed the button it hid. The door closed, leaving Tess and Niki in the dark. Tess yelped. "Push the button, Tess." She did. The door opened. "Remember that, kiddo. Now that you know about the secret passage, you need to know the way out; eight paces to the right, move the fake brick and push the button. There's another button just inside the hall closet, but that won't help you if you get stuck in that rotten place."

Tess nodded, still a little scared. Her old mom was never scary, even if she was distant. Her new mom was fun, but sometimes Tess could almost see other moms peeking out, moms who didn't love Tess or anybody else, moms who reminded Tess of Halloween monsters. For a minute in the corridor, Tess thought maybe she was in the dark with one of the scary moms. But, there was Niki, winking at her…

…until Niki looked in the mirror. Tess knew the minute her new mom went away. Niki glared at the mirror, mouthing words at the reflected image, then – stopped. Her face went slack and her eyes lost their sparkle for a long moment.

Tess watched quietly as Viki ran her hand across her face. "What happened?" she whispered. "Have I lost time again? Niki?" Viki's eyes went glassy for another minute, and then cleared. Tess sighed and remembered her manners, so she could pretend to be sweet little Jessie.

"Jessie, it's late. Why are you still awake, sweetheart?" Viki looked around. "Where's Kim?"

"I wanted to stay up and watch a movie, since we just got back from my playdate," Jessie looked up at her old mom and added, "please."

"Playdate?" Viki frowned. She rubbed her temples in an effort to banish the pain and the feeling that something was wrong. "Of course. But it is quite late…"

"Your mother's right, Jessie. You need to get your rest." Clint stood in the doorway of the library, the doorknob still in his hand. He looked over at Jessie's old mom. "You look tired, too, Viki. Kim tells me you drove Jessie to and from her playdate, when you know that Kim can cart her around just as easily; she is the nanny."

"I know, Clint, I just wanted to run a few errands and this gave me a chance to spend some time with Jessie." The smile she gave Clint was a bit shaky.

Jessie knew that her dad's smile was a fake one that he wore so he wouldn't upset anyone. Her dad wore that smile whenever he saw Jessie with her mom and Kim wasn't there. Tonight, Jessie would hear another lecture from her dad to Kim about her mom's condition and how the stress wasn't good for her. Jessie wished she knew why she was so 'stressful' that her mom couldn't be alone with her. Jessie would be better, then her old mom would love her as much as her new one did.


End file.
